GOETHE’S  SESENHEIM  SONGS 


BY 

OSCAR  F.  WEBER 


THESIS 


FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  BACHELOR  OF  SCIENCE 

IN 

EDUCATION 


COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


1922 


§■ 


' 


G-0~ 


GOETHE’S  SESENHEIM  SONGS 


BY 


OSCAR  F.  WEBER 


THESIS 


FOR  THE 


DEGREE  OF  BACHELOR  OF  SCIENCE 


IN 


EDUCATION 


COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


1922 


43898? 


GOETHE’S  SESENHEIM  SONGS 

BY 

OSCAR  F.  WEBER 


THESIS 


FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  BACHELOR  OF  SCIENCE 

IN 

EDUCATION 


COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

1922 


; ; u .oeo 


, . ; 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


-Lia3£_.3.1-^_ 192.2. 

THIS  IS  TO  CERTIFY  THAT  THE  THESIS  PREPARED  UNDER  MY  SUPERVISION  BY 


ENTITLED--  . 

HS£lAE-_IiV_^BEE 

.-(JQIKDHSL'S-  SiiSEilHSIIl-SOMS- - - 

IS  APPROVED  BY  ME  AS  FULFILLING  THIS  PART  OF  THE  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE 


DEGREE  OF  . 

.-MCLHELOIl-QE-^OXSJmK-iJi-EIIILaABKm^- 

Approved 

^ - 

Instructor  in  Charge 

HEAD  OF  DEPARTMENT  OF  _ _ 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/goethessesenheimOOwebe 


The  Se senheim  Songs. 


The  Young  Poet. 

In  Strasshurg. 

At  Sesenheim. 

The  Aftermath  in  Song  and  Story. 
J.  M.  R.  Lenz. 

The  Differences  of  Opinion. 
Goethe ' s Account . 

The  Poet  and  Humanity. 

The  Manuscripts. 

The  Depth  of  Emotion. 

The  Heart  in  Sorrow. 

Doubt  and  Hesitation. 

The  Spirit  of  Joviality. 

The  Light  of  My  Life. 

The  Individual  Poems. 

Love  Remains. 


Bibliography . 


. 


GOETHE 1 S SESENHEIM  SONGS. 


-1- 


The  Young  Poet  ♦ 

Leipzig  of  1765,  with  all  the  patent  superficialities,  that, 
through  French  influences,  had  found  their  way  into  the  social, 
religious,  and  political  circles  of  its  life  and  very  seriously 
threatened  the  stability  of  its  tenor,  was  far  from  an  ideal  place 
for  a promising  and  rather  spoiled  young  man  like  Goethe  at  sixteen. 
But  when  amid  this  corruption  the  youthful  poet,  from  uhe  very 
fullness  of  his  heart,  sang  of  sincere  affection,  of  genuine  appre- 
ciation, of  true  love  he  was  at  once  recognized  by  a few  of  the 
great  literary  critics  of  his  time  as  an  outstanding  genius. 

In  Stra  ssburg . 

But  his  stay  in  Leipzig  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  close  by  a 
serious  illness.  Sad  and  almost  disconsolate  he  returned  to 
Frankfort.  For  some  time  there  was  doubt  ss  to  his  recovery.  Only 
after  many  months  could  his  parents  hope  to  have  him  pursue  his 
studies.  They  then  sent  him  to  Strassburg  to  complete  his  course 
in  jurisprudence. 

7/ith  his  recovery  he  returned  to  his  contemplation  of  the  big 
and  important  things  in  life.  That  much  of  his  class  work  was  a 
mere  "marking  of  time"  we  learn  from  reference  to  his  "Ephimeride s" , 
a diary  that  gives  no  uncertain  evidence  of  the  deep  problems  and 
the  serious  undertakings  with  which  this  young  man  was  then 
concerned. 

Here,  too,  he  came  in  contact  with  Herder  who  awakened  in  him 
new  thoughts  and  directed  him  to  the  well  defined  need  for  more 
thorough  going  investigations  and  first  hand  original  creations  in 


. 


-2- 

German  science  and  literature.  This  great  leader  of  the  Storm  and 
Stress  Period  made  an  extraordinary  impression  upon  the  young  man. 
Through  Herder,  too,  Goethe  learned  to  appreciate  and  honor  Shakes- 
peare with  youthful  ardor.  The  creations  of  the  great  English 
genius  were  for  him  both  a revelation  and  a model  of  a new  literary 
freedom  which  gave  him  courage  to  hope  to  fulfill  the  visions  that 
thronged  his  own  mind,  ill  the  impulses  that  he  had  earlier  ex- 
perienced, and  that  he  had  set  aside  because  of  his  illness,  if 
not  already  because  of  the  superficiality  of  life  in  Leipzig, 
showed  themselves  now  in  full  sway.  Although  he  applied  himself 
earnestly  enough  to  the  attainment  of  the  liberal  accomplishments 
he  learned  early  the  evaluation  of  emotion.  It  was  Herder  who 
taught  hi:  to  guard  against  the  commonly  accepted  misconceptions 

and  the  narrow,  stock  interpretations  that  always  seriously  handi- 
cap the  development  of  science  and  art  and  to  put  hifeself  in  tune, 
as  it  were,  with  the  eternal  purpose  in  the  universe. 

Under  these  inspiring  influences  Goethe  conceived  his  "Gotz 
von  Berlichen"  and  made  a preliminary  sketch  of  that  drama.  Here 
"Faust"  surged  through  his  being.  But  what  is  probably  most 
significant  is  that  it  is  from  this  time  that  we  have  from  his  pen 
the  most  beautiful  songs  of  love  that  ever  human  soul  poured  forth. 
For  the  student  of  Goethe,  fully  acquainted  with  the  historical 
background  there  is  no  question  about  the  genuineness  of  these  poems. 
And  still,  there  are,  unfortunately,  circumstances  that  throw  this 
whole  period  into  a mist  of  misconceptions,  falsehoods,  and  even 
the  most  pernicious  slanders  and  defamations.  Why?  we  ask  our- 
selves. 


-3- 


In  Sesenheim . 

hot  far  from  Strassburg  lay  Sesenheim.  here,  in  the  protestant 
vicarage,  lived  the  Brion  family,  consisting  of  father,  mother, 
three  older  daughters,  a younger  daughter  and  a son,  a very 
pleasant  and  exceptionally  hospitable  family  circle,  into  which 
Goethe  was  introduced  through  his  friend  Weyland , a relative  of 
the  family,  on  a bright  spring  morning  in  the  year  1770.  Cordially 
enough  received  by  all  the  members  of  the  family  Goethe,  never-the- 
less,  found  himself  more  frequently  in  the  company  of  Friederike, 
the  third  oldest  daughter,  a young  lady  of  eighteen  or  nineteen. 

She  was  a vivacious,  happy  being  whom  he  soon  loved  most  sincerely. 

Out  of  this  pure  love  of  the  young  poet  we  have  the  so-called 
Friederike  Poems,  sacred  songs  of  eternal,  absolute  love.  As 
messages  of  love  to  Friederike  they  are  filled  with  recollections 
of  many  happy  hours  spent  in  field  and  wood  and  of  promises  of 
eternal  faith. 

The  fact,  however,  that  Goethe  after  he  left  Strassburg  wrote 
to  Friederike  or  rather  to  her  parents  just  one  time  and  that  after 
that  there  was  no  further  correspondence  precludes  the  assumption 
that  he  left  her  in  order  later  to  return.  And  still  Goethe's 
love  was  not,  as  Diintzer  suggests,  a" frivolous  passion"  but  rather 
the  deepest,  most  sincere  and  real  love,  that  followed  him  to  his 
grave,  late  in  life  he  said: 

’TAch,  wer  bringt  die  schonen  Tage  , 

Jene  holde  Zeit  zuriiek. " 


One  should  like  to  believe  that  we  might  have  wished  a happy 


-4- 

conclusion.  And  still  we  must  not  forget  that  Goethe  in  his  nine- 
teenth year  suffered  from  a serious  lung  trouble  , that  even  in  Strass- 
burg  he  attributed  to  himself  at  best  a questionable  health,  and 
that  Friederike,  too,  was  suspected  of  being  consumptive.  Besides, 
Goethe  had  very  definite  ideas  as  to  what  responsibilities  marriage 
involved ; 

"liebe  ist  etwas  Ideeles,  Heiraten  etwas 
Reeles  und  nie  verwechselt  man  unge strait 
das  Ideele  mit  dem  Reelen" . 

Later  this  conviction  took  a still  more  definite  form: 

,TEine  sole  he  jugendliche  , aufs  geradewohl 
gehegte  Leigung  ist  der  nachtlich  geworfenen 
Bombe  zu  vergleichen,  die  in  einer  sanften 
glanzenden  Linie  aufsteigt,  sich  unter 
die  Sterne  mischt,  ,ja  einen  Augenblick 
unter  ihnen  zu  verweilen  scheint,  alsdann 
aber  a.bwarts,  zwar  wieder  dieselbe  Bahn , 
nur  umgekehrt,  bezeiehnet  und  zuletzt  da, 
wo  sie  ihren  Lauf  geendet , Verderben 
hinbringt . " 

Where  Goethe  erred  is  in  the  over-emphasis  he  placed  on  what  he 
called  his  guilt  in  having  given  himself  with  such  complete  abandon 
to  this  love.  Goethe  was  not  unfaithful  in  any  sense  in  which  we 
might  be  inclined  to  interpret  unfaithfulness,  he  felt,  however, 
he  should  have  exercised  sufficient  precaution  not  to  have  led 


. 


-5- 

Friederike  to  look  forward  to  their  marriage. 

Bode  caught  this  tone  of  self-condemnation  and  realized  the 
disasterous  effect  it  had  on  Goethe's  life.  Thus  he  says: 

"Kurz,  der  Erzahler  lenkte  in  dieser 
liebesgeschichte  alles  Licht  auf  das 
Madchen  und  alien  Schatten  auf  sich 
selber.  Das  zeugte  von  dem  Adel  seiner 
Seele  , aber  nichts  hat  seinem  sittlichen 
Rufe  so  sehr  geschidet  wie  diese  f'rei- 
willige  Selbstbezi chtigurg. " 

In  a conversation  with  Eckerman,  Goethe  had  said,  in  his 
eightieth  year,  that  there  was  in  his  account  of  the  Sesenheim 
incident,  as  contained  in  "Dichtung  und  Wahrheit",  not  a thing  that 
was  not  true  and  yet  that  nothing  was  there  portrayed  precisely  as 
it  had  been  experienced,  a fact  that  is  borne  out  by  careful  study 
of  the  poems. 

The  Aftermath  in  Song  and  Story. 

Before  the  appearance  of  "Dichtung  und  Wahrheit"  one  paid  very 
little  attention  to  the  Friederike  episode.  Friederike  herself 
probably  rarely  mentioned  her  experience  and  Goethe,  no  doubt,  con- 
sidered it  wise  to  leave  this  remembrance  of  youthful  pleasures 
undisturbed.  What  then,  could  have  directed  later  attention  to  the 
matter?  For  the  Friederike  story  has  been  widely  rehearsed  in  song 
and  story.  And  the  investigations  of  so-called  "students  of  re- 
search" have  thrown  about  the  incident  the  vilest  slanders  and  the 


-• 


' 


-6- 


most  disgusting  insinuations. 

In  the  first  place,  the  commonplace  conception  of  "jilting  a 
girl"  carries  with  it  all  sorts  of  inferences.  Then,  after  Goethe's 
information  in  "Dichtung  und  Wahrheit"  had  been  made  known  there 
was  no  dearth  of  "investigators"  who  wished  to  get  first  hand  in- 
formation. There  were  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  Alsatian 
village  many  accommodating  old  folks  who  were  only  too  glad  to 
gossip  about  the  matter.  It  is  not  necessary  to  do  more  than  to 
allude  to  the  inventive  genius  of  the  ignorant.  One  can  imagine 
with  what  zest  even  those  who  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  might  add 
incident  upon  incident  to  a tale. 

Aside  from  this  there  is  evidence  that  a decided  hatred  that  a 
certain  religious  sect  had  for  Goethe  and  his  philosophies  led  to 
deliberate  misrepresentations  and  open  canonical  denunciations. 

Lenz. 

In  the  spring  of  1772  the  poet  lenz  of  Livonia , in  the  capacity 
of  tutor,  accompanied  the  two  young  Lords  Kleist  to  Strassburg.  When 
the  regiment,  to  which  the  younger  nobleman  was  attached,  was  trans- 
ferred to  "Fort-Louis" , a fortified  island  in  the  Rhine,  Lenz  found 
himself  within  a short  distance  of  Sesenheim.  On  a walk  one  beauti- 
ful May  morning  the  young  lord  and  his  tutor,  who  was  a minister's 
son  and  theological  student,  chanced  into  the  vicarage.  Both  were 
most  hospitably  received.  Lenz  at  once  interested  himself  in 
Friederike . 


In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Friederike  had  suffered  from  her 


-7- 


earlier  love  experience,  there  were  no  doubt  walks  in  field  and  wood, 
enjoyable  dances,  happy  songs  and  maybe  even  games  of  forfeit  for 
the  young  folks.  But  Lenz  was  a peculiar  lover.  He  was  sentimental 
and  distrustful,  talented  and  eccentric.  In  his  every  act  he  showed 
the  extravagant  and  perverse  addictedness  of  a child.  His  sentiments 
were  too  passionate  for  friendship  and  too  discreet  for  love.  The 
psychologist  Y/ieland  has  given  us  the  following  picture  of  the 
inner  conflicts  of  his  strange  nature: 

"ein  heteroklites  Geschopf,  gut  und  fromrn  wie 
ein  Kind,  aber  zugleich  voller  if fenstreicho  , daher 
er  oft  ein  schlimmerer  Kerl  scheint  als  er  ist  und 
zu  sein  vermogen  hat;  er  rnochte  immer  etwas  beginnen 

und  wirken  und  weiss  nicht  was aber  man  muss  ihn 

mild  beurteilen,  den  guten  Jungen,  der  mit  soviel 
Genie  ein  dummer  Teufel,  und  mit  soviel  Liebe  bis- 
weilen  ein  so  boshaftes  iiffchen  ist." 

Withal,  however,  it  seemed  for  a time  that  Lenz  might  compete 
with  Goethe  for  public  recognition  and  favor.  Still,  lenz  could 
hold  himself  to  nothing  with  any  degree  of  definiteness  and  persist- 
ence. ind  so  it  was  too  with  his  lovemaking.  He  believed  he  could 
take  Goethe's  prace  in  the  affections  of  Friederike.  In  this  he 
failed  completely,  however.  Goethe  had  left  Sesenheim  because  he 
saw  for  himself  a greater  career  ahead.  Lenz  left  Sesenheim  because 
he  could  soe  nothing  before  him  and  did  not  have  the  courage  to  hope 
to  see  anything.  In  his  dreams  Lenz  lived  in  a wonderful  world  of 
fancy,  he  gained  some  few  friends  here  and  there,  even  produced 


' 


■ 


lasting  works  but  went  Sown  in  incurable  mental  darkness  in  his 
struggle  with  the  powerful,  eternally  creating,  eternally  growing 
giant  Goethe. 


-8- 


The  Dif fe rence s of  Opinion. 

Here  we  have,  then,  two  men  as  different  as  one  could  think 
them.  Their  experiences  in  a love  affair  with  the  same  girl  are  as 
varied  as  their  natures,  And  yet  there  is  a question  about  the 
authorship  of  the  eleven  poems  which  in  thought  and  emotional  con- 
tent present  a complete  unity. 

Goethe' s Account . 

Goethe  himself  deals  with  only  two  of  the  poems;  namely  the 
well-known  MMit  einem  gemalten  Bande"  and  the  so  often  misinter- 
preted "Y/illkommen  und  Abschied'' . That  has  caused  many  critics  no 
end  of  concern.  "’.Thy”,  they  say,  "did  he  say  nothing  of  these 
other  poems  if  they  are  indeed  his?"  In  answer  it  is  necessary 
merely  to  point  to  the  fact  that  Goethe  rarely  had  anything  to  say 
about  his  own  poetical  creations  as  it  was  also  decidedly  distaste- 
ful to  him  to  be  asked  anything  concerning  the  interpretation  of 
any  passage . 

After  Goethe  had,  in  1779,  on  his  return  from  Switzerland, 
visited  Friederike  once  more  he  wrote  .to  Frau  von  Stein: 


"Ich  fand  alte  Lieder,  die  ich  gestiftet  hatte." 


-9- 


And  later  he  said  in  "Dichtung  and  Wahrheit" : 

"Ich  legte  fur  Friederike  mane he  lieder  be- 
kannten  Melodien  unter.  Sie  hatten  ein 
artiges  Bandehen  gegeben;  wenige  davon  sind 
iibrig  geblieben,  man  wird  sie  leieht  airs 
meinen  iibrigen  herausfinden. M 

Further  than  that  we  have  nothing  from  him.  He  believed  as 
he  said,  that:  it  would  be  easy  to  pick  them  out  from  among  his 

other  works.  He  might  have  added  as  he  did  on  another  occasion 
"if  you  are  not  too  stupid". 

The  Poet  and  Humanity . 

That  after  a score  of  years,  yes,  after  a century,  there 
would  be  people  who  would  wish  to  know  every  particular  incident  of 
the  love  affair,  did  not  at  all  occur  to  the  poet.  But  even  if  it 
had  occurred  to  him  he  should  have  wished  to  keep  himself  aloof 
from  such  mass  curiosity.  Here  and  there,  no  aoubt  there  have  been 
people,  who  knowing  too  much  of  the  details  of  the  love  affair,  have 
felt  their  "heart's  blood  congeal  within  them",  because  they  thought 
themselves  into  the  barrenness  of  a lost  love.  Still  the  thousands 
and  thousands  who  have  read  in  the  lines  only  the  symbolization  of 
eternal  love,  have  realized  how  significant  the  words  are.  And 
although  it  may  be  that  the  individual  lover  should  not  have  written 
words  so  full  of  significance  yet  the  poet  must  do  it.  We  have  here 
the  difference  between  the  particular  and  the  general,  the  passing 
and  the  eternal,  the  material  and  the  spiritual. 


-10- 


The  Confusion  of  Manuscripts. 

Genuineness  of  handwriting  cannot  "be  referred  to  as  an  evidence 
of  the  genuineness  of  the  poems.  Friederike  early  made  cooies  of 
the  poems.  Although  Kruse  believes  to  have  seen  the  originals  in 
1835,  Stober  found  only  copies  that  had  been  made  by  Friederike' s 
sister  Sophie.  After  the  death  of  Lenz  three  of  the  poems  were 
found  among  his  personal  effects,  a matter  not  so  difficult  to  ex- 
plain when  we  remember  that  although  Lenz  was  very  .jealous  and 
envious  of  Goethe  he  tried  to  get  possession  of  every  thing  that 
Goethe  produced. 

But  why,  we  may  ask,  did  Friederike  make  copies  of  the  poems? 
That  is  a matter  easily  explained  when  we  remember  that,  no  doubt, 
all  of  these  poems  were  sent  to  her  as  letters  or  parts  of  letters. 

As  a.  symbol  of  what  she  had  a right  to  believe  to  be  the  deepest 
of  sincere  love  they  were  to  her  a sacred  treasure,  that  she  sought 
to  hide  from  the  curious  world  as  fully  as  the  secret  within  her 
breast.  The  poetry  the  world  might  have,  the  letters  were  her  own. 
This  religious  insistence  on  guarding  the  letters  seems  to  me  to  be 
an  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  poems.  I cannot  bring  myself 
to  believe  that  Friederike  would  have  concerned  herself  so  with 
guarding  letters  or  poems  Lenz  had  written  even  if  they  had  been 
dedicated  to  her.  And  so  one  does  not  find  among  the  letters  which 
Falck  found  among  the  personal  belongings  of  Lenz  af^er  his  death 
any  of  those  like  "Jetzt  fiihlt  der  Engel"  , or  "Ich  komme  bald  ihr 
goldnen  Kinder"  which  must  have  lain  close  to  the  heart  of  Friederike 
but  rather  such  as  "Bun  sitzt  der  Litter  an  dem  Ort" , "Ach  bist  du 


■ 


-11- 


fort?"  and  ".Als  ich  in  Sarbrucken" . Just  such  poems  as  she  might 
use  to  tease  her  new  lover.  The  most  personal  she  guarded  from  the 
gaze  even  of  Lenz,  however. 

That  Friederike  seemed  to  possess  no  originals  led  Bielschowsky 
to  make  the  following  remark: 

"Es  ist  einigermassen  auf iailend , dass  Friederike 
gerade  so  sicheres  Goethisches  Eigenthum  wie  "Hit 
einem  gemalten  Bande"  und  wohl  auch  "Jetzt  fiihlt 
der  Engel"  nicht  im  Original  besass;  und  uns  be- 
schleichen  Zweifel,  ob  uberhaupt  Kruse  Goethische 
Originale  vor  sich  sah  und  ob  die  "zierliche  Hand", 
die  er  fur  die  Goethische  hielt,  nicht  einem  andern 
Dichter  des  vorigen  Jahrhunderts  angehorte." 

It  will  not  do,  of  course,  to  go  that  far  or  we  should  have  to 
ascribe  "Mit  einem  gemalten  Bande"  and  "Willkommen  und  -Abschied" 
to  this  other  poet  of  the  "graceful  hand".  Since  there  are  no 
originals  we  must  content  ourselves  with  determining  the  genuineness 
of  the  poems  from  other  evidence. 

Sincere  Emotion. 

.ith  Bielschowsky ' s view,  that  Goethe’s  relationship  to 
Friederike  had  no  enduring  significance,  I cannot  agree.  Bielschow- 
sky says,  for  instance,  "Friederike  wurde  ausser  von  Goethe  noch 
von  Lenz  und  vielleicht  andern  uns  unbekannten  Mannern  gelisbt,  die 
sie  ebenso  gut  in  Liedern  feiern  konnten , als  Goethe". 


- 

' 


- 


-12- 


It  is  just  because  be,  like  Duntzer,  believes  the  relationship 
was  but  a passing  frivolous  passion  that  he  cannot  understand  the 
reverent  seriousness  of  the  youthful  poet. 

From  this  conception  comes  the  interpretation  that  Goethe's 
whole  Sesenheim  experience  was  one  unbroken  round  of  pleasure 
"Goethe  is  always  the  happy  lover",  says  Bielschowsky  in  his  essay 
"Concerning  the  Genuineness  and  Chronology  of  the  Sesenheim  Songs". 
One  has  merely  to  refer  to  Goethe's  letters  to  Salzmann  to  realize 
that  his  life,  while  there,  far  from  having  been  a joy,  was  a 
veritable  torment. 

It  is  just  this  misconception  that  makes  Bielschowsky  misinter- 
pret the  well-known  "V/illkommen  und  Abschied" . To  him  the  "happy 
lover"  swings  himself  ahorse  like  a gallant  knight  to  visit  his 
fair  lady  love.  If  the  title  of  the  poem  could  be  translated  with 
the  once  so  popular  "I  should  rather  say,  Hello',  than  Good-bye  I" 
we  might  be  justified  in  such  a view. 

A Sorrowing  Heart . 

But  it  is  just  the  opposite  view  that  is  the  only  tenable  one. 
The  youthful  Goethe  has  made  up  his  mind  to  say  good-bye  forever 
to  Friederike.  A definite  reason  for  his  decision  he  cannot  give. 

Eis  conscience  troubles  him  unendurably  and as  if  God  punished 

him  for  his  folly when  he  comes  to  Friederike  she  bids  him  a 

hearty  welcome.  Instead  of  lessening  his  anguish  it  increases  it. 
One  can  readily  imagine  oneself  in  the  perplexing  and  embarrassing 
predicament.  Goethe's  courage  failed  him.  Only  afier  eight  years 


„ 


. 

-13- 


when  he  had  visited  Friederike  once  more,  on  his  return  from  Switzer- 
land could  he  say  with  some  degree  of  consolation: 

"dass  ich  nun  auch  wieder  mit  Zuf riedenhei t an 
das  Eekchen  der  Welt  hindenken  und  in  Frieden 
mit  den  Geistern  dieser  Ausgesohnten  in  mir  leben 
kann . ,T 

From  Goethe  himself  we  learn,  from  his  letters  to  Salzmann, 
that  he  spent  many  a sad  day  in  Strassburg.  It  will  not  do,  then, 
to  say  in  advance:  It  will  be  a simple  matter  to.  distinguish  the 

cheerful  and  bright  poems  of  Goethe  from  the  more  serious  and  mel- 
ancholy ones  of  Lenz. 

Doubt  and  Hesitation, 

For  even  in  the  most  cheerful  poems  of  this  Sesenheim  period 
we  find  traces  of  doubt  and  misgiving.  To  me  this  so  often  recur- 
ring evidence  of  uncertainty  is  an  unmistakable  'mark  of  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  poems.-  Goethe  knew  well  enough  he  was  sincerely  in  love, 
but  he  knew,  too,  what  he  hod  to  do  to  achieve  the  well-defined  goal 
he  had  set  for  himself.  Duty  and  love  contended.  Love  won  until 
another  champion  of  duty  entered  the  lists.  Fear  masks  in  many 
forms  and  to  the  great  it  is  but  the  intensification  of  great 
aspirations.  At  all  events  Goethe's  struggle  was  so  intense  that 
many  years  afterwards  he  could  recall  clearly  that: 

"Solche  Zerstreuungen  und  Heiterkeiten  gab  ich 
mich  um  so  lieber  und  zwar  bis  zur  Trunkenheit 
hin,  als  mich  mein  leidenschaftliches  Verhaltniss 


. 

‘ 


- 


■ 


-14- 


zu  Friederike  nunmehr  zu  angst igen  anfing 

Wenngleich  die  Gegenwart  Friederikes  mich  angstigte , 
so  wusste  ioh  doch  nichts  Angenehmere s , als 
abwesend  an  sie  zu  denken." 

His  mind,  however,  was  as  "changeable  as  a weathervane  at  the 
approach  of  a storm  when  the  winds  shift".  Conscience  pointed  the 
way  but  day  uoon  day  his  will  failed.  He  could  arrive  at  no  definite 
decision.  In  the  following  poems  this  uncertainty  is  unmistakable: 

In  the  last  lines  of  "Jetzt  fuhlt  der  Engel"  we  find: 

"Du  gabst  mir,  Schicksal,  diese  Freude , 

Hun  lass  auch  Morgen  seyn  wie  Heute , 

Und  lehr'  mich  ihrer  wurdig  seyn." 

Although  he  had  given  himself  to  his  love  with  utter  abandon 
there  were  these  undeniable  pangs  of  conscience  that  could  not  but 
convince  him  that  this  circumstance  must  prove  a decided  disadvan- 
tage to  him.  In  "Mahomet's  Gesang"  we  read  later: 

"Doch  ihn  halt  kein  Schattenthal 
Heirs  Blumen. " 

But  in  "Xleine  Blumen,  kleine  Blatter"  which  might  be  taken 
as  the  accompaniment  of  a formal  proposal  of  marriage  there  is: 

"Schicksal,  segne  diese  Triebe , 

Lass  mich  ihr  und  lass  sie  mein 
lass  das  Leben  unsrer  liebe 
Doch  kein  F.osenleben  sein." 


-15- 


A very  strange  stanza  to  find  its  way  into  this  declaration 
and  yet  easily  enough  explained.  Goethe  felt  a "cold  chill"  come 
over  him.  But  in  order  to  avoid  making  a decision  himself  he  leaves 
the  whole  matter  to  fate. 

Again,  "Ach,  hist  du  fort?”  begins  as  follows: 

"Ach,  hist  du  fort?  Aus  welchen  giildnen  Traumen 
Erwach'ich  jetzt  zu  meiner  Qual?" 

That  he  should  think  of  the  relationship  as  a dream  gives 
another  evidence  of  an  unsuspected  self  revelation. 

And  so  in  "Balde  seh  ieh  Rickgen  wieder"  the  lines: 

M0  wie  schon  hats  mir  geklungen 
Wenn  sie  meine  Lieder  sang." 

show  that  the  poet  is  thinking  of  the  whole  circumstance  as  a 
memory  of  the  pest.  In  the  third  stanza  we  have  again: 

"Denn  mich  angsten  tiefe  Schmerzen 
Wenn  mein  Mfidchen  mir  entflieht 
Und  der  wahre  Gram  im  Herzen 
Geht  nicht  uber  in  mein  Lied." 

The  last  two  lines  are  especially  significant.  Bielschowsky 
seems  to  he  unahle  to  interpret  these  lines.  Indeed,  who  believes 
that  Goethe  was  always  "the  happy  lover"  could  not  understand: 


"Und  der  wahre  Gram  im  Herzen 
Geht  nicht  uber  in  mein  Lied." 


■ 


* 


-16- 

This  tendency  to  evade  the  responsibility  and  its  consequent 
unpleasantness  shows  itself  in  the  last  stanza  fully: 

"Doch  jetzt  sing  ich  und  ieh  habe 
Yolle  Freude  suss  und  rein 
Ja  ich  gabe  diese  Gabe 
Mcht  fur  a Her  Kloster  We  in.” 

The  important  word  is  the  word” j&tzt" . How , loving,  I shall 
be  happy.  What  comes  of  it,  who  can  say?  He  knows  that  his  beloved 
will  not  be  his.  He  knows  he  loves  her.  He  believes  love  to  be 
its  own  excuse  for  being.  Why  should  he  not  bask  in  the  sunlight 
of  the  absolute  love? 

That  this  same  Doubt  is  present  in  "Willkommen  und  -Abschied" 
there  is  no  question.  But  one  must  understand  the  circumstances  as 
I have  already  set  them  forth  above,  for  if  it  were  merely  a ooem 
in  which  in  some  unaccountable  manner,  as  Bielschowsky  says:  "Will- 
kommen  und  -Abschied  in  einen  Hahrnen  zusammen  gedrangt  ist  ' ,the 
heartrending  lines: 

"Du  gi ng st , ich  stun  , und  sah  zur  Erden 
Und  sah  air  nach  mit  nassem  Blick. '' 

would  have  no  significance.  It  is  Friederike  who  bids  him  to  be 
welcome.  It  is  he  who  wishes  to  take  leave.  The  two  things  fit 
together  but  into  a phase  of  life  torn  with  conflicting  emotions. 
Love  wins  for  the  time  being  and  again  to  fate  is  left  the  final 
determination. 


-17- 


The  Spirit  of  Jovia  lit.y . 

Aside  from  this  doubt  that  characterizes  Goethe's  attitude 
throughout  there  is  a spirit  of  playful  raillery.  Just  as  the  timid 
are  certain  to  whistle  loudest  when  consumed  by  the  biggest  fear  so 
the  one  in  doubt  will  be  sure  to  use  good  natured  jests  to  tide 
him  over  his  periods  of  uncertainty.  But  we  need  not  rosort  to  this 
psychological  phenomenon.  All  of  us  jest  with  those  whom  we  like 
best.  As  a brother  teases  a sister  so  Goethe  teases  Friederike. 

Thus  he  says  in  "Erwache  Friederike":  You  will  be  punished  enough 
for  your  laziness.  The  nightingale  did  not  sing  because  you  did 
not  rice  early  and  because  you  did  not  rise  early  enough  and  the 
nightingale  did  not  sing,  you  did  not,  of  course,  hear  the  nightin- 
gale sing.  This  troubles  Bielschowsky  greatly  that  Goethe  says  the 
nightingale  did  not  sing  and  that  immediately  thereupon  that  Frieder- 
ike did  not  hear  the  nightingale  sing.  Therefore,  too,  lenz  should 
have  written  the  poem'.  But  Goethe  has  not  finished  with  his  good 
natured  raillery.  He  goes  on  to  inflict  the  "punishment",  how 
you  shall  hear  what  I have  composed'. 

In  "Jetzt  fuhlt  der  Engel"  Goethe  insists  that  Friederike  belong 
to  him  because  he  won  her  in  a game  of  forfeit.  "Von  Herzen"  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  game  was  a "game  of  hearts". 

"Hun  sitzt  der  Ritter"  is  as  Bielschowsky  says  a "moody"  bit 
of  poetry.  Indeed  just  as  moody  as  the  later  "Schwager-  Xronus . " 

In  "Schwager  Kronus"  the  stage  proceeds  too  slowly  for  him,  here 
his  horse  that  stumbles  along  like  blind.  And  the  word  "ziemlich" 


. • 


. 


-18- 


even  if  it  is  the  most  unpoetic  word,  as  Bielschowsky  says,  suits 
the  oceasion.  No  doubt  Goethe  had  told  the  girls  a story  of  knightly 
adventure.  They  had  then  challenged  him  to  a trial  of  his  skill  of 
horsemanship,  it  all  events,  he  went  ahorse  with  a specific  goal 
in  view.  But  this  adventure  was  followed  by  a second: 

"Da  sitz  ich  nun  vergniigt  bei  Tisch, 

Und  endige  mein  Abenteuer 
Mit  einem  Paar  gesottner  Bier 
Und  ein  Stuck  gebackenen  Fisch.  ' 

We  can  readily  imagine  that  his  dreams  would  take  him  upon  a 
third.  The  poem  overflows  with  good  nature!  raillery  rather  than 
moo dine  ss . 

"Ach  bist  du  fort?"  gives  us  a similar  picture.  Because 
Friederike  at  parting  avoided  him  with  her  eyes  she  shall  be  pun- 
ished by  being  obliged  to  hear  of  his  grief.  With  what  varied 
feelings  her  soul  must  have  teemed  to  see  her  lover  roam,  disconso- 
late, over  hill  and  vale,  finally  to  lie  dying  at  her  feet.  The 
words  "Vollkommenheit"  and  "Grausame",  which  should  not,  according 
to  Bielschowsky , belong  in  Goethe's  vocabulary,  admirably  suit  the 
purpose  of  the  author.  We  c;.n  imagine  Friederike  saying,  "So,  I 
am  the  "grewsome  one",  but  wait,  he  calls  me  "perfection",  too. 
Strange  I"  But  long  she  had  not  to  doubt  that  he  teased  her,  and  that, 
teasing,  he  loved  her  still.  In  any  other  sense,  it  is  true,  a word 
like  "Grausame"  would  be  difficult  to  explain. 


In  "Wo  bist  du  itzt?"  Goethe  says,  "You  are  my  sun,  my  joy,  my 


. 


-19- 


life  : 

"Zomm  bald  zurtickl  sonst  wird  es  Winter  werden 
Im  Monat  Mai  . " 

Even  the  song  "Sin  grauer  truber  Morgen"  finds  him  jesting: 

"Dooh  in  der  oden  Laube , 

.Ach,denk  ieh,  war  sie  hier, 

Ich  bracht1  ihr  diese  Traube, 

Und  sie was  gab  sie  mir?" 

Why?  The  answer  is  not  far  to  seek.  This  attitude  is  fully 
correlative  with  the  doubt  of  which  I have  already  spoken.  Just  as 
one  when  pained  by  an  injury  tries  to  appear  most  unconcerned  so, 
too,  one  torn  by  grief  will  try  hardest  to  appear  happy.  V/e  try  to 
hide  from  the  world  that  which  at  heart  troubles  us  most. 

But  this  doubt  does  not  preclude  love.  It  is  really  the  most 
genuine  proof  of  a transcending  love  that  could  not  be  set  aside 
even  for  the  most  urgent  calls  of  duty  to  a well-defined  life  career. 

The  Light  of  mv  Life . 

There  is  one  thing  more  to  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
poems  in  general.  It  is  another  evidence  of  the  depth  and  sincerety 
of  Goethe's  love.  The  young  poet  repeatedly  calls  Friederike  his 
"Sun".  Later  in  life  he  tells  us  that  the  sun  was  for  him  almost 
an  object  of  worship.  That  it  stood  for  him  as  a symbol  of  absolute 
truth  which  one  could  know  only  in  reflected  form  we  learn  in  the 
introduction  to  the  second  part  of  "Faust".  We  can  understand  then. 


I I I f " ' W'W* 

■ ■ 


-20- 


too,  why  Goethe  applied  to  Friederike  Che  term  "Vollkommenheit" . 
The  fact  that  he  saw  in  Friederike  the  absolute  love  accounts  for 
the  humiliation  he  felt  because  of  his  own  weakness. 

In  the  song  "Erwache  Friederike"  we  find: 

"Erwache,  Friederike, 

Vertreib  die  Facht , 

Fie  einer  deiner  Blicke 
Zum  Ta.ge  macht." 

-And  so  in  ".Ach  bist  du  fort?"  again: 

"Wie  ist  die  Munterkeit  von  ihm  gewichen! 

Fie  Sonne  scheint  ihm  schwarz." 

So,  too,  in  "-Als  ich  in  Saarbriicken'1 : 

"Seit  du  entfernt,  will  keine  Sonne  sclieinen." 

These  three  poems  are  among  those  that  Bielschowsky  ascribes 
£o  Lenz.  Strangely  enough  we  find  in  "3in  grauer  triiber  Morgen"  a 
similar  reference. 

"0  liebliche  Friederike, 

Furft  ich  nach  dir  zuriick, 

In  einem  deiner  Blioke 
Liegt  Sonnenschein  und  Gluck." 

-And  in  the  second  stanza: 


. 


-21- 


"Der  V/ie sen  gruner  Schiramer 

Wird  trub  wie  mein  Gesicht, 

3ie  sehn  die  Sonne  nimmer 
/ 

Und  ieh  Friederiken  nioht." 

This  unity  of  thought  in  and  of  itself  would  be  evidence  enough 
of  Goethe's  authorship. 

The  Individual  Poems. 

However,  it  might  be  well  to  discuss  some  of  the  other  arguments 
which  Bielschowsky  presents  in  attributing  five  of  these  poems  to 
Lens.  In  the  first  place,  in  the  poem  "i\eh  bist  du  fort?"  Bielschow- 
sky  deals  at  length  with  the  structural  peculiarities  of  this  song. 
If,  however,  we  hear  in  mind  the  thought  and  emotional  content  we 
disco  er  that  everything  is  subordinated  to  this  content.  It  will 
not  do  either  to  analyze  this  as  a well-rounded  lyric  poem.  Goethe 
wrote  it  in  haste  and  sent  it  to  Friederike  as  a letter  or  as  a 
part  of  a longer  letter.  Bielschowsky  calls  the  poem  "unreal"  and 
"theatrical".  Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  a bit  of  good-natured 
raillery  it  is  anything  but  "unreal"  and  "theatrical".  The  criticism 
that  Goethe  used  words  that  do  not  occur  at  this  time  in  any  of  his 
other  poems  can  be  dismissed  with  the  explanation  that  nowhere  else 
had  Goethe  met  such  occasions  and  that  it  is  the  occasion  that  deter- 
mines the  uso  of  the  word.  Still  it  will  not  do  to  overlook 
Bielschowsky ' s specific  charge  that  Goethe  at  this  age  did  not  men- 
tion death.  Bielschowjsky  overlooks  that  at  Leipzig  the  young  poet 
wrote  the  following: 


-22- 


"Der  Todt  fiihrt  einst  von  ihrer  Seite 
Dich  auf  zum  englischen  Gesang, 

Dich  zu  des  Paradieses  Freude , 

Und  du  fuhlst  kein  Uebergang.” 

To  abandon  oneself  to  absolute  love  is  a human  dissolution  for 
divine  reintegration.  Whoever  understands  human  psychology  knows,  to 
that  thoughts  of  , eath  find  their  way  into  the  mind  of  the  normal 
youth  quite  unavoidably  and  quite  naturally. 

When  one  reads  what  Bielschowsky  has  to  say  about  "11s-  ich  in 
Saarbriicken"  one  would  be  inclined  to  believe  Friederike  had  gone 
beyond  the  village  limits  of  Sesenheim  on  only  one  or  two  occasions. 
Lenz  could  not  possibly  have  written  this  song.  His  letters  to 
Salzmann  show  he  was  in  far  too  melancholy  a state  of  mind.  This 
song  dances  bright  and  fresh  as  the  May  Song.  Y/here  the  poet  is  it 
is  raining  but  his  heart  is  reassured,  for  he  knows  where  Friederike 
is  there  is  sunlight  end  joy: 

"Wo  bist  du  itzt,  mein  unverge sslich  Madchen, 

Wo  sings t du  itzt? 

Wo  lacht  die  Flur,  wo  triumpfiert  das  Stadchen, 

Das  dich  besitzt?" 

.And  then,  0,  my  light  and  my  life: 

"Xomm  bald  zuruckl  Sonst  wird  es  7/inter  werden 
Im  Lionat  Mai  . " 


That  one  should  not  look  for  artistic  style  in  a song  like 


' 


. 


. 


* 


-23- 


"Uun  sitzt  der  Hitter"  goes  without  saying.  But  here  we  have  in 
evidence,  after  all,  a peculiar  hit  of  art  in  the  grotesque.  It  i s 
true  the  lines  "flounder  along"  and  the  verses  are  "overloaded" 
hut  so  goes  the  claybank  and  in  such  condition  is  the  vestry-keeper. 

"Friederike  Hrwache"  is  dismembered  hy  Bielschowsky . Much  of  it 
should  he  unpoetic.  But  just  why-  Lenz  should  he  guilty  of  such  an 
unpoetic  production  we  are  not  told.  In  regard  to  the  use  of  the 
nightingale  we  find  the  following: 

"Der  junge  Goethe  lieht  weder  eine  solche  Umschreih- 
ung  (Philomelens  Hummer  fur  ha chtiga lie nge sang ) 
noch  uherhaupt  die  sentimentale  Sangerin.  Er  zieht 
die  in  luft  und  Sonne  sioh  schwingende , frohliche 
Lerche  vor,  so  im  Maifest,  Wanderers  Sturmlied , 
an  die  "Entfernte".  Dagegen  hahen  wir  sie  hei  lenz 
in  dem  citirten  (We inhold  97,  S.  230)  und  in  dem 
Liede  "Wo  hist  du  itzt"  getroffen." 

But  if  we  ascribe "Wo  hist  du  itzt?"  to  Goethe  there  is  no 
preponderance  of  evidence  on  this  issue. 

The  following  stanza  causes  Bielschowsky  considerable  concern: 

"Ich  sell'  dich  schlummern,  Schonel 
Vom  Auge  rinnt 
Mir  eine  siisse  Thrane 
Und  macht  mich  blind." 

He  says,  "I  do  not  believe  in  the  truth  of  this  stanza  and  so  I 
cannot  believe  in  its  genuineness  either."  But  why  if  it  is  not 
true  should  it  he  ascribed  to  Lenz?  Bielschowsky  has  overlooked 


' 


-24- 

the  important  role  the  tear  plays  in  Goethe’s  life.  Later  in  life 
Goethe  wrote  "Wonne  der  Wehmut"  and  "frost  in  Thranen" . But  in 
many  other  poems  like  "Sehnsuoht”  and  in  "Uachgefuhl"  the  tear 
plays  an  important  part.  Here  the  tear  is  a symbol  of  a most  sacred 
reverence.  The  mere  thought  that  he  might  see  Friederike  in  her 
slumber  brings  a reverent  awe  over  him.  Tears  come  to  his  eyes. 

She  is  the  life  and  light  of  his  life. 

Love  Remains. 

My  own  conviction  is  that  these  poems  were  all  written  by 
Goethe.  That  some  are  not  models  of  lyric  art  need  not  concern  us. 
The  big  and  significant  thing  is  that  the  poet  glorifies  absolute 

love.  Whatever  the  transcient  circumstances  were,  whatever  one 

* 

woman  suffered,  whatever  the  world  may  have  believed,  after  all, 
matters  little.  From  these  passing  and  ephemeral  things  the  poet 
took  the  eternal  verities  of  thought  and  emotion  and  wove  them 
into  songs  that  will  gladden  the  heart  of  humanity  for  countless 
age  s. 


* 


I 


Biblio  graph;/ . 

Die  Schicksale  der  Friederika  Brion 
vor  und  nach  ihrem  Tode --von  Wilhelm  Bode 
Berlin  1920--E.  S.  Mittler  und  Bohn . 

Friederike  Brion  von  Sesenheim 
Gesohiohtliche  Mitteilungen  von  Phil.  Herd.  Lucius 

Dritte  Auf lage--Strassburg . Eeitz  und  Mundel. 

Gedichte  von  J.  M.  R.  Lenz 

hit  Benutzung  des  iachlasse s 7/endelins  von  Waltzhahn 
He rausgegehen  von  Karl  We  inhold 
1891--Berlin--Wilhelm  Hertz . 

Der  Junge  Goethe 
Seine  Briefe  und  Dichtungen 
187  5- -Leipzig- -Hi rgel--Bernays . 

Gesammelte  Sehriften 
von  J.  M.  R.  Lenz- -von  Ludwig  Tie ok 
1828--Berlin--G.  Reimer. 

Der  Dichter  Lenz  und  Friederike  von  Sesenheim 
Aus  Briefe  und  gleichzeit igen  ^uellen,  nehst  Gedichten 
und  andern  von  Lenz  und  Goethe--von  August  Stober. 

1842 Basel--3cheighauser. 


II 


Jacob  M.  R.  Lenz 

Der  Dichter  der  Sturra  und  Drang  Peri  ode 
Sein  Leben  und  seine  Werke  von  ' ' . R.  Rosa  vow 
1909--Leipzig--Schulze . 

Ueber  Echtheit  und  Ghronologio 
der  Sesenheimer  Lieuer  von  Albert  Bielschowsky 
Go e the - Jahrbuch-XI 1 1 Band  1891. 

Goethe  in  ^trassburg 
von  Ernst  Martin 
Berlin  1871. 

The  Life  of  Goethe 

By  Albert  Bielschowsky  Translation  by  William  A.  Cooper 
1909--Dew  York- -Putnam* s Sons. 

Dichtung  und  Wahrheit  II  u.  Ill 
Goethe . 

Wilhelm  Mei stars  Wander'jahre  II 
Die  neue  Me lu sine 
Goethe . 

Sesenheim 

From  Goethe’s  '’Dichtung  und  Wahrheit" 

H.  C.  C.  Kuss--1894 — 3oston--Heath. 

Verirrte  Deutsche 
Arthur  Moeller  von  der  Bruck 


Bruns,  Minden  i.  W. 


Ill 


Gog  the  aus  naherenf  personlichem  bmgang 
Johannes  Falk 

1911--Berlin Llorawe  und  Scheffelt. 

Das  Eeidenroslein 
Goethe's  Sesenheimer  Lieder 
in  ihrer  Ve  ran  las  sung  und  Stiromung 
von  Adalbert  Baier 
1877 — Heidelberg- -Georg  Zeiss. 

Goethe  der  Mann  und  das  Werk 
von  Eduard  Engel 
1910- -Berlin- -Herman  Ehbook. 

Lenz,  Goethe  und  Cleophe  Fibieh  von  Strassburg 

Joh.  Frotzheim 

In  Beitrage  zur  Landes-  und  Volkskunde 
von  Elsass-Lothringen 
IV  Heft 

1888--Strassburg--Heitz  und  Mundel. 

Sturmer  und  Dranger  v.  80 
Lenz  und  Wagner 

Herausgegeben  von  Dr.  A.  Sauer 
Berlin---.? . 


Spemann . 


■ 


IV 


Goethe's  Lehen 
von  Johann  Heinrich  Diintzer 
18S3--Leipzig--R.  Beisland. 

"Ep heme  ride s" 

Goethe's  Strassburger  Tagehuch 
Weimar  Edition,  Yolume  37. 

-Authenticity  of  Goethe's  Sesenheim  Songs 
By  Dr.  Julius  Goebel 
Modern  Philology,  Volume  I:  159. 


